Don “Radar” Schroeder, of Shakopee, passed away on January 8, 2016 at the age of 70. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 1:00 PM with visitation two hours prior at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation; 833 South Marschall Road; Shakopee, MN. Reverend Diana Hunstad will preside. Radar’s lifelong friend, Don Larsen, will act as urn bearer, and Radar’s grandchildren are honorary urn bearers.
On November 5, 1945, Otto and Esther (Schauer) Schroeder celebrated the birth of their son, Donald Otto Schroeder. Don was born in Glencoe and moved to the Prior Lake area when he was a boy. He was quickly given the nickname “Radar” and it stuck with him. In second grade he met a lifelong friend, Don Larsen. The two were quite the pair and remained the best of friends throughout life. As boys, they were always together doing chores, fishing, and running the creek bottoms between Spring and Prior Lakes. Radar was a great swimmer, often swimming across Spring Lake.
As a teenager, Radar met a nice young girl named Lana Sexton. For Lana it was love at first sight, but Radar was shy, and it took him a few years to get up the courage to ask her out. After two years of friendship, Radar and Lana began dating and were quickly engaged. They had everything set for a big wedding in the spring but couldn’t wait to be married, so they eloped. Radar and Lana were married in Watertown, South Dakota on January 3, 1967 and began their life together. They were blessed with four wonderful children, Becky, Bryon, Brent and Bruce.
Radar had a great work ethic and provided a good life for his family. He began working for Thermo King in 1966 and remained with the company for 35 years as a member of the United Steel Workers Union. Radar was proud to work for the world leader in transport refrigeration, and after many years as a dedicated employee, Radar retired from the maintenance department.
He loved fishing, camping, and deer hunting and he passed these interests on to his children. When the kids were young, Radar and Lana would take them on weekend camping trips all around the state. When they weren’t camping, Radar was playing softball or bowling. He was a talented athlete and an asset to his teams. In retirement, Radar especially loved cheering on his grandchildren in their various activities.
As a couple, Lana and Radar enjoyed playing cards with friends and traveling. They took many memorable trips to places like Colorado, New York, Texas and Canada. The last trip they took together was a weeklong visit to Kanab, Utah. Radar loved the outdoors, and they explored 5 national and state parks on this trip. He was also very passionate about sports, and he especially enjoyed cheering for the Vikings. Just five days before Radar died, he and Lana spent their 49 th wedding anniversary watching the Vikings game together.
After an extended stay in the hospital and an ongoing battle with health issues, Radar passed away with his family and friends by his side. He was a strong man who was known for tough love. Radar cared deeply for his family and friends and always made sure everyone was on the right track.
Radar is survived by his wife, Lana Schroeder; children, Becky Schroeder, Bryon (Maria) Schroeder, Brent Schroeder, Bruce Schroeder; grandkids: Levi, Joe, Skylar, Nevada, Evan and Erika; sister, LuVella Schroeder; sister-in-law, Dolores (Gordy) Schroeder-Nelson; other loving relatives and many dear friends. Radar is preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Esther Schroeder; brother, Eldon “Bud” Schroeder; sister, Glendora (Delbert) Borchardt.
The Schroeder family is served with honor, care and compassion by Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation.
